Kit of parts for an erectable shelter and a shelter made therefrom

ABSTRACT

A kit of parts for an erectable shelter is provided. The kit of parts includes a floor, an at least semi-rigid wall portion with an entrance, and an at least semi-rigid roof portion. The wall structure is connectable to the floor without tools. The roof portion is connectable to the wall structure without tools.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to at least semi-rigid shelters that areerectable for temporary use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the wake of a natural disaster, it is typical that many victims willrequire emergency shelter. Such shelter may be provided by non-rigidmeans, such as tents. While tents are relatively easy to erect, they aresometimes less desirable than shelter that is at least semi-rigid for avariety of reasons. It is therefore desirable for a shelter to beprovided that is at least semi-rigid and which is also easilyconstructed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a shelter that issemi-rigid and that is erectable by hand without the use of tools.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a shelter thatis semi-rigid and that is erectable by hand without the use of tools andthat is easily disassemblable for reuse.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a shelter thatis configured to resist damage from certain types of natural disaster,such as an earthquake.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a kit of partsfor making a shelter in accordance with either of the aspects describedabove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described by way of example only withreference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shelter, shown in an erectedconfiguration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a kit of parts that can be used to erectthe shelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the kit of parts shown in FIG. 2, in anopened position showing some of the components contained therein;

FIG. 4 a is a perspective view of the storage crate for the kit of partsshown in FIG. 2 with one element removed for clarity;

FIG. 4 b is a perspective view of a partially erected shelter from thekit of parts shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is another perspective view of the shelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view of two of the kit of parts shown in FIG. 2, onestacked on the other;

FIG. 7 a is a sectional view of a wall frame member that is part of thekit of parts shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 b is a side view of the wall frame member shown in FIG. 7 a;

FIG. 8 a is a sectional view of another wall frame member that is partof the kit of parts shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 b is a side view of the wall frame member shown in FIG. 8 a;

FIG. 9 a is an end view of the wall frame member shown in FIG. 7 a, witha wall panel from the kit of parts shown in FIG. 2, inserted therein;

FIG. 9 b is a magnified sectional view of the wall panel shown in FIG. 9a;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the mounting of a wall framemember and a wall panel from the kit of parts shown in FIG. 2, to afloor from the kit of parts shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a sectional side view showing the wall panel shown in FIG.10, mounted to the floor shown in FIG. 10 using a hand-operablefastener;

FIG. 12 a is another perspective view of the shelter shown in FIG. 1with a roof structure cover removed for clarity;

FIG. 12 b is a side view of a portion of the shelter shown in FIG. 1,illustrating the assembly of selected frame members and panels;

FIG. 13 is an end view of a roof frame member and a roof panel from thekit of parts shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 14 is an end view of another roof frame member and a roof panelfrom the kit of parts shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 15 is a side view of a portion of the shelter shown in FIG. 1,illustrating the connection between selected frame members;

FIG. 16 is a magnified sectional side view of a roof panel from the kitof parts shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 17 is an edge view of an alternative roof panel that may be used aspart of the shelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is an edge view of another alternative roof panel that may beused as part of the shelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is an elevation view of the connection between roof framein-line members with each other and with wall frame in-line members;

FIG. 20 a is an elevation view of the connection between roof framecorner members with each other and with wall frame corner members, asseen from the interior of the shelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 b is an elevation view of the connection between roof framecorner members with each other and with wall frame corner members, asseen from the exterior of the shelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 21 is a magnified perspective view of the end of one of the framemembers shown in FIG. 20 a;

FIG. 22 is a magnified elevation view of the end of one of the framemembers shown in FIG. 20 a;

FIG. 23 is an elevation view of an alternative construction for the doorand related components for the shelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 24 is an elevation view of an alternative construction for a windowfor the shelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an alternative roof system for use withthe shelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 26 is a sectional view of a panel in the roof system shown in FIG.25;

FIG. 27 a is a side view of support beams used in the roof system shownin FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 b is a side view of a joint between two roof panels and asupport beam shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 28 is a side view of an alternative wall portion for use in theshelter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 29 is a side view of a support frame for use with the shelter shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 30 is a plan view of the support frame shown in FIG. 29; and

FIG. 31 is a plan view showing the joint between support beams that makeup the support frame shown in FIGS. 29 and 30.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made to FIG. 1, which shows an erectable shelter 10 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The erectableshelter 10 may be used to shelter people, who for whatever reason dohave shelter immediately available. For example, the erectable shelter10 may be used to shelter people who have had to evacuate their homes,or who have lost their homes as a result of a natural disaster, such asa hurricane or a flood. As another example, the shelter 10 may be usedto shelter people who have been displaced as a result of war or fromsome other man-made cause.

The components of the erectable shelter 10 may be configured to beremovably connectable to one another, so that the shelter 10 may beeasily disassembled after it is no longer needed. Preferably, afterdisassembly, the shelter 10 can be stored in a space-efficient state andcan be re-erected when it is needed again.

Preferably, assembly and disassembly of the shelter 10 can be effectedby a person without the use of tools.

In the erected configuration shown in FIG. 1, there is shown a floor 12,a wall portion 14, which may be at least semi-rigid, and a roof portion16, which may be at least semi-rigid.

Referring to FIG. 2, the erectable shelter 10 may be stored ortransported in a space efficient configuration, which may be referred toas a storage configuration. In the storage configuration, the erectableshelter 10 may be referred to as a kit of parts 10. In the storageconfiguration, the floor 12 makes up a first portion, shown at 18, of astorage crate 20, which houses the components of the wall portion 14 androof portion 16 (see FIG. 1). Aside from the first portion 18, thestorage crate 20 further includes two end panels 22 (see FIG. 3).

Referring to FIG. 1, the components that make up the wall portion 14include a plurality of wall frame members 24 and a plurality of wallpanels 26, one of which may include a door assembly 28. Referring toFIG. 5, the components that make up the roof portion 16 include aplurality of roof frame members 30, a plurality of roof panels 32, whichtogether make up a roof structure 33. The roof portion 16 furtherincludes a roof structure cover 34 (see FIG. 1).

To erect the shelter 10, the storage crate 20 is opened (see FIG. 3). Asbest seen in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, the first portion 18 is made from fourpanels 36, 38, 40 and 42, which are hingedly joined together, by hingeconnectors 44, and which open into a laid-out position (FIG. 4 b) toform the floor 12 of the shelter 10.

Referring to FIG. 2, structural ribs 46 extend along the exterior facesof the floor panels 36, 38 (not shown in FIG. 2), 40 and 42 to provideadded strength and to increase bending resistance to the panels 36, 38,40 and 42. It will be noted that the structural ribs 46 on the floorpanel 36 (which forms the top panel of the storage crate 20) are offsetfrom the structural ribs 46 on the floor panel 40, (which forms thebottom panel of the storage crate 20). By sufficiently offsetting theribs 46 on the top and bottom panels 36 and 40, ribs 46 on the bottompanel 40 of one crate 20 do not rest directly upon the ribs 46 of thetop panel 36 of the crate 20 immediately underneath, when crates 20 arestacked on top of another during storage or shipping (see FIG. 6). Thisreduces the effective height of each crate 20, so that for certain stackheights, the stack may be able to accommodate an extra crate 20,relative to a stack (not shown) wherein the ribs 46 are not offset.Furthermore, in some embodiments, such as that shown in FIGS. 2 and 6,the offset of the ribs 46 is such that the ribs 46 of the bottom panel40 of one crate 20 nest within the ribs 46 on the top panel 36 of thecrate 20 immediately below, which serves to help stabilize the crates 20during storage and shipping, reducing the likelihood that the uppercrate 20 will slip off the crate 20 beneath it.

Referring to FIG. 5, the hinge connectors 44 that join the floor panels36, 38, 40 and 42 together may be mounted to be flush with the interiorsurfaces of the floor panels 36, 38, 40 and 42. The interior surfaces ofthe floor panels 36, 38, 40 and 42 make up the floor surface 48 uponwhich the user of the shelter 10 will walk, and so making the hingeconnectors 44 flush with the floor surface 48 reduces the presence ofunwanted bumps and irregularities in the floor surface 48.

On the floor surface 48 of the floor 12 are mounting and alignmentguides 50 for the wall frame members 24 and wall panels 26.

Reference is made to FIGS. 7 a, 7 b, 8 a and 8 b, which show two viewsof each of two wall frame members 24 respectively. FIGS. 7 a and 7 bshow a wall frame corner member 52, and FIGS. 7 a and 7 b show a wallframe in-line member 54. The wall frame members 24 hold the wall panels26 (FIG. 4 b) in place and serve as panel-to-panel connectors. To holdthe wall panels 26, the wall frame members 24 include channel structures56 (FIGS. 7 a and 8 a) which define channels 58. The channel structures56 include channel side walls 60 and a channel base 62. The channel sidewalls 60 each include an optional gripping structure 64 thereon. Thegripping structure 64 may be for example, a plurality of ribs 66 whichextend out from the side wall surface into the interior of the channel58. The ribs 66 may have any suitable profile, such as, for example, asaw tooth pattern. The saw tooth pattern may be directional in the sensethat the apexes of the saw teeth may be skewed in a selected direction,such as towards the channel base 62. The ribs 66 grip and hold the edgeportion of the wall panel 26 when it is inserted into the channel 58.

A lead-in portion 67 may be provided on the channel side walls 60 tofacilitate entry of the edge portion of the wall panel 26 into thechannel 58.

Each of the wall frame corner members 52 and wall frame in-line members54 includes a roof supporting portion 68, which is configured to supporta portion of the roof portion 16.

The wall frame members 24 may be made in any suitable way. For example,the wall frame members 24 may be made as extruded lengths of polymericmaterial, having a selected extruded profile. The polymeric material maybe, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Some or all of the framemembers 24 may alternatively be made from other materials, such as, forexample, Aluminum.

As shown in FIGS. 7 a and 8 a, the roof-supporting portion 68 of each ofthe extruded profiles may be reinforced with one or more internalstrengthening cross-members 69.

Referring to FIG. 4 b, the wall frame members 24 are received in gaps 70that are present at selected positions between the mounting andalignment guides 50, and thus the mounting and alignment guides 50cooperate with the wall frame members 24 to set the wall frame members24 in selected positions about the periphery of the floor 12.

Referring to FIG. 9, the wall panels 26 are received in the channels 58in the wall frame members 24. Additionally, referring to FIG. 10, thewall panels 26 abut the mounting and alignment guides 50, and aremounted to the mounting and alignment guides 50 by means of a pluralityof hand-operable fasteners 72 (see FIGS. 10 and 11). The hand-operablefasteners 72 may be any suitable type of fastener. For example, thehand-operable fasteners 72 may include a hex-head bolt 74, one or morewashers 75 and a butterfly nut 76. The head of the bolt 74 may be heldin place by any suitable means, such as by friction with the washer 75while the butterfly nut 76 is hand tightened to connect the wall panel26 to the mounting and alignment guide 50. To assist in the grip betweenthe bolt 74 and the washers 75, at least one washer 75 may be made froma resilient material, such as rubber.

Referring to FIG. 1, the wall panel 26 with the optional door assembly28 is shown. The door assembly 28 includes a door 80 and a door frame82. The door 80 is hingedly attached to the door frame 82. The hingedattachment may be by any suitable means, such as, for example, a doorhinge or some other kind of hinge, such as a living hinge. The door 80and frame 82 may be connected together as a pre-assembled component inone of the wall panels 26 in the kit of parts 10. In this way, the wallpanel 26 with the door assembly 78 can be mounted in place for receptionin the channels 58 in two wall frame members 24, in similar fashion toany of the other wall panels 26. In the area where the door 80 will bepresent, the floor 12 may optionally omit a mounting and alignment guide50, because it can represent a tripping hazard.

It is alternatively possible for a functional door to be provided in anyother suitable way. The door need not be provided as part of a doorassembly, if it can be installed by a person erecting the shelter 10without tools. As another alternative, while the door assembly 28 ispreferably included in one of the wall panels 26, it could optionally beomitted. For example, one of the wall panels 26 could be provided with asimple opening for users to pass through into and out of the shelter 10.Alternatively, some other type of weather or privacy barrier could beprovided instead of a door. For example, a simple curtain could be hungto block the entrance to the shelter 10.

An alternative means for providing a door is shown in FIG. 23. The dooris shown at 200. The door 200 is pre-mounted by hinges 202 to a wallframe corner member that may be referred to as a door-mounted wall framecorner member 204. The wall frame corner member 204 has the same profileas any of the other corner members 52 and can therefore fit in anycorner position of the shelter 10.

The door may be provided with a door latch assembly with a bolt 206 thatengages a bolt-receiving aperture 208 and an optional strike plate. Thebolt-receiving aperture 208 may be provided in one of the in-linemembers 54, which can be referred to as a bolt-receiving wall framein-line member 210, which can then be positioned in the appropriateposition for receiving the bolt 206 from the door 200.

In embodiments wherein the door 200 does not occupy the entire height ofthe wall portion 14, an above-door wall panel 212 can be provided whichcan be friction fit into position between the corner member 204 and thein-line member 210.

One or more of the wall panels 26 may be provided with an optionalwindow 83. The window may be fixed in position, or may be openable, toprovide air flow into and out of the shelter 10, as shown at 214 in FIG.24.

The wall panels 26 may have any suitable construction. For example,referring to FIG. 9 b, they may be made from a three-layer corrugatedpanel-board which may be treated in a number of ways. For example, theboard may be treated to be weather resistant, insect resistant, fireresistant or any combination thereof.

Some or all of the wall panels 26 may be made from materials other thanpanel-board.

Each wall panel 26 has an edge portion 84 which may be covered by aprotective sleeve 86. The sleeve 86 may be generally channel shaped andmay be affixed to the edge portion 84 in any suitable way, such as witha suitable adhesive. The sleeve 86 may include a gripping structure 88thereon, which assists in the gripping of the wall panel 26 by the wallframe members 24 (see FIG. 9 a). In embodiments wherein the grippingstructure 88 is present and the gripping structure 64 is present, thegripping structures 88 and 64 may cooperate with each other to furtherassist in the gripping of the wall panel 26 in the wall frame member 26.

The gripping structure 88 may be made up of a plurality of ribs 90 whichextend in a direction parallel to the segment of the edge portion 84 onwhich the sleeve 86 is mounted. The ribs 90 may have any suitableprofile, such as, for example, a saw tooth pattern. The saw toothpattern may be directional in the sense that the apexes of the saw teethmay be skewed in a selected direction, such as towards the centre, shownat C in FIG. 1, of the wall panel 26. The ribs 90 may thus have anopposite configuration to the ribs 66 on the channel side walls 60, sothat the saw teeth engage each other to help hold the wall panel 26 inplace in the channel 58.

Referring to FIG. 9 b, the sleeves 86 include optional lead-in portions91 on each side wall which facilitates inserting the edge portion 84 ofthe wall panel 26 into the channel defined by the shape of the sleeve86.

Referring to FIG. 9 a, when the wall panel 26 is inserted into thechannel 58, it is not necessary for the edge portions 84 of the wallpanel 26 to contact the channel base 62.

The bolt pass-through holes 78 in FIG. 11, which extend through the wallpanels 26, extend through the sleeve 86 at the bottom segment of theedge portion of the wall panels 26. In this way, the sleeve 86 providesmaterial strength to resist tearing of the bolt 74 through the wallpanel material surrounding the pass-through hole 78.

A wall frame cross-member 102 (FIGS. 12 a and 12 b) may extend acrossthe tops of the wall panels 26 and the vertically standing wall framemembers 24 along the first and second ends of the shelter 10, shown at104 (FIG. 1) and 106 (FIG. 5). A wall panel 108 is provided above thewall frame cross-member 102. The wall panel 108 fills in the spacepresent between the top of the wall panels 26 and the sloped roof framemembers 30, in embodiments wherein the roof is sloped. It isalternatively possible that the wall panels 26 at the ends 104 and 106(FIGS. 1 and 5 respectively) may be made relatively taller, so as tofill in the space at the ends under the sloped roof frame members 30.Making them taller, however, could impact the necessary length of thestorage crate 20 (FIG. 3). The wall panel 108 may have any suitableshape, which depends on the shape of the sloped roof.

The wall frame cross-members 102 may be similar to the wall framein-line members 54 (FIG. 8 a). It will be noted, however that a wallframe in-line member 54 abuts the wall frame cross-member 102 in themiddle of the cross-member 102. To clear the wall frame in-line member32, the wall frame cross-member 102 may be provided with a notch 112 onthe inner channel side wall, shown at 113 in FIG. 12 b. Aside fromproviding clearance around the wall frame in-line member 32, the notch112 facilitates positioning the cross-member 102 on top of the wallpanels 26 at the shelter ends 104 and 106 (FIGS. 12 and 5 respectively).A similar notch 115 (see FIG. 15) will be provided on the interiorchannel side wall 113 and optionally on the exterior channel side wallat each of the ends of the cross-member 102 where it rests on the wallframe corner members 52.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the roof frame members 30 include roofframe corner members 114 and roof frame in-line members 116, which maybe similar to the wall frame corner members 52 (FIG. 7 a) and the wallframe in-line members 54 (FIG. 8 a) respectively in terms of shape, (eg.extrusion profile).

Reference is made to FIG. 19. The roof frame in-line members 116 abuteach other and connect to each other at their respective first ends 150.Their abutment may be in such a way as to form a peak or apex, shown atA1. The connection to each other may be by any suitable means, such asby a bracket 151 on each side. In FIG. 19 only one bracket 151 is shownat each end 150; the second bracket 151 is positioned on the side of themembers 116 not shown in the figure.

At its respective second end, shown at 152, each in-line members 116 issupported by one of the wall frame in-line members 54. A bracket 92 oneach side of the roof frame in-line member 116 at its second end 152connects the member 116 to the wall frame in-line member 54. In FIG. 19only one bracket 92 is shown at each end 152; the second bracket 92 ispositioned on the side of the member 116 and 54 not shown in the figure.

The second end 152 may include a support face 154 which extendsgenerally horizontally so that it can be supported by the top end, shownat 156, of the associated in-line member 54. The end 152 may furtherinclude a shoulder 158 which extends generally vertically to abut theinner face, shown at 160, of the in-line member 54. The engagement ofthe shoulder and the in-line member 54 prevents the slippage of the roofportion in-line member 116 outwardly. As a result of the shape of thesecond ends 152, when a pair of roof frame in-line members 116 ispositioned on the wall frame in-line members 54, the pair of roof framein-line members have a tendency to be self supporting prior to theinstallation of the brackets 92. Preferably, each pair of roof framein-line members 116 are connected together by brackets 151 prior topositioning on the top ends 156 of the wall frame in-line members 54.

The brackets 151 and 92 may be mounted using hand-operable fasteners 94,which may be similar to the hand-operable fasteners 72 (FIG. 11) andwhich may therefore include bolts, resilient washers and butterfly nuts.

Referring to FIG. 15, an optional layout is shown for the connection ofthe roof frame corner members 114, the wall frame cross member 102 andthe wall frame corner member 52. The roof members 114 are supported atleast indirectly by the wall frame corner member 52 and are joined tothe wall frame corner member 52 by a bracket 92 on each side andhand-operable fasteners 94, which may be similar to the hand-operablefasteners 72 and which may therefore include bolts and butterfly nuts.In FIG. 15, one of the brackets 92 is hidden from view as it is on theside of the members 114 and 52 not shown in the figure.

Referring to FIG. 20 a, a view is provided from the interior of theshelter, showing an alternative layout for the connection of the roofframe corner member 114, the wall frame cross member 102 and the wallframe corner member 52. The end of the wall frame cross-member 102,shown at 162, is shown more clearly in FIGS. 21 and 22. The end 162 isprovided with clearance 164 for mating with an end 166 (FIG. 20 a) ofthe roof frame corner member 114. An exterior view of the mating of roofframe corner member 114, the wall frame cross member 102 and the wallframe corner member 52 is shown in FIG. 20 b.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the roof frame members 30 include channelstructures 96 which define channels 98 with gripping structure 99 forreceiving the roof panels 32. The channel structures 96, channels 98 andgripping structures 99 may be similar to the channel structures 56,channels 58 and gripping structures 64 (FIGS. 7 a and 8 a).

Referring to FIG. 12 a, in embodiments where the roof is peaked, asshown in the Figures, the roof frame members 30 abut each other in sucha way as to form an apex A2. Brackets 120 and hand-operable fasteners122 may be provided to connect pairs of abutting roof frame members 30at the apex A2, to strengthen the roof structure 33.

The hand-operable fasteners 122 may be similar to the hand-operablefasteners 72 and may therefore include bolts and butterfly nuts.

Referring to FIG. 16 the roof panels 32 may be similar to the wallpanels 26 (see FIG. 9 b), and may thus be made from corrugatedpanel-board with sleeves 125 along their edge portions, shown at 127.The roof panels 32 may include some optional features not shown in thewall panels 26. The roof panels 32 may each include an overhang portion124 which hangs down to cover the joint between the roof panel 32 andthe subjacent wall panel 26. Covering the joint in this way assists inpreventing rain, wind and the like from entering the shelter 10. Theroof panels 32 may be provided with a hinge 126, which may be providedby means of a pinch line 126 so that the overhang portion 124 ishingedly attached to the rest of the roof panel 32 and hangs downagainst the exterior face of the wall panels 26 (see FIG. 12 a).

Reference is made to FIG. 17, which shows an alternative roof panel 140that can be used as part of the shelter 10 (FIG. 1). The roof panel 140may be made from corrugated panel-board, similar to the roof panel 32(FIG. 16). The roof panel 140 may be made to cover both sides of theroof portion (ie. both sloped portions on either side of the roof peak).To this end, the roof panel 140 may be provided with a hinge 142 whichis positioned at the apex of the roof portion when the roof panel 140 isin place in the roof structure 33 (FIG. 12 a). The hinge 142 may beprovided any suitable way. For example, the hinge 142 may be formed by apinch line in the corrugated structure of the roof panel 140. The endsof the roof panel 140 may include overhang portions, which may besimilar to the overhang portions 124 on the roof panels 32.

Referring to FIG. 18, in an alternative embodiment, two separate roofpanels 144 could be provided, which are joined by a hinge 146, which maybe, for example, a piano hinge. The roof panels 144 may be made from anysuitable material, such as, for example, plywood.

Referring to FIG. 1, the roof structure cover 34 covers all of thejoints between the roof panels 32 (not shown in FIG. 1) and between theroof panels 32 and the roof frame members 30 (not shown in FIG. 1). Theroof structure cover 34 may be shaped to roughly match the shape of theroof, and may thus be provided with a sloped shape to promote drainageof rainwater and the like off the roof and to assist in inhibiting thepooling of rainwater and the like thereon.

The roof structure cover 34 may extend downward by a selected amountonto the wall portion 14 to completely envelop the overhang portions 124of the roof panels 32 (not shown in FIG. 1).

The roof structure cover 34 may further include an elastic member 130proximate its bottom edge which assists the bottom edge of the roofstructure cover 34 to snugly fit about the exterior of the shelter 10.In this way, the cover 34 can better protect the interior of the shelter10 from the weather. Additionally, the snug fit makes the cover 34 moreresistant to being inadvertently blown off of the roof during use.

The roof structure cover 34 may be water-resistant, resistant to weathergenerally, fire resistant, insect resistant, or any combination of theabove. The cover 34 may be made from any suitable material such as, forexample, a polymeric material.

Reference is made to FIG. 25, which shows an alternative system 500 forthe roof portion 16, which eliminates the need for the roof structurecover 34 (FIG. 1). The system 500 incorporates roof panels 502, supportbeams 504, and a roof apex cover 506. The roof panels 502 may be similarto the roof panels 32 (FIG. 5). Alternatively, the roof panels 502 maybe as shown in FIG. 26, and may a sandwich of metallic (eg. steel)exterior sheet 508, with an insulative material 510 (eg. a panel ofStyrofoam) inside.

Each support beam 504 extends from the top of a wall frame in-linemember 54 to the roof apex, shown at A1, where it adjoins anothersupport beam 504 that extends downwards from the roof apex A1 to the topof a wall frame in-line member 54. At the roof apex A1, suitablebrackets 512 (FIG. 27 a) and fasteners 513 (eg. hand-operable fastenerssuch as winged externally threaded fasteners in combination withwing-nuts) may be provided to join the support beams 504 together.

Referring to FIG. 27 b, each support beam 504 may have a trough portion514 and two flange portions 516. Fasteners 518 (eg. hand-operablefasteners such as winged externally threaded fasteners in combinationwith wing-nuts) pass through the flange portions 516 and through theroof panels 502 to connect to them. Referring to FIG. 25, rain thatlands or drips off into the space between adjacent roof panels 502 iscollected in the trough portion 514 and runs down off the roof. Thesupport beam 504 is preferably made from a metal such as a suitablyprotected (eg. galvanized) steel, however it can be made from anysuitable material, such as a polymeric material.

Along the roof apex A1, the roof apex cover 506 covers the joint betweenadjacent roof panels 502 and support beams 504. The roof apex cover 506may comprise one or more strips of polymeric material which can be heldin place along the roof apex A1 in any suitable way, such as by asuitable adhesive or an adhesive tape.

Reference is made to FIG. 28. In an alternative embodiment the wallpanels 26 (FIG. 1) may be replaced by wall panels 522 that have asandwich construction of metallic exterior sheet (eg. suitably protected(eg. galvanized) steel), and suitable internal material, such as a panelof Styrofoam.

In an alternative embodiment the wall frame members 24 (FIG. 1) may bereplaced by metallic (eg. suitably protected (eg. galvanized) steel)wall frame members 524, which may have similar configurations to thewall frame members 24, examples of which are shown in FIGS. 7 a, 8 a and9 a. As a result of using a metal to make up the members 524, however,certain elements of the cross-sectional shape that are shown in themembers 24 shown in FIGS. 7 a, 8 a and 9 a may not be necessary.

Reference is made to FIGS. 29 and 30. The shelter 10 may include asupport frame 600 that lifts the floor 12 off the ground, therebypermitting some water to accumulate around the shelter 10 (as can happenin the wake of a natural disaster) without flooding the shelter 10. Thesupport frame 600 includes a support platform portion 602 and aplurality of legs 604. The legs 604 may be adjustable in height, therebyfacilitating the supporting of the shelter 10 on uneven terrain.

The support platform portion 602 may be made up of a plurality ofsuitable support beams 606, such as box beams. The support beams 606 arearranged to form a platform on which the floor 12 of the shelter 10sits. The beams 606 may be connected together by any suitable means. Forexample, the beams 606 may be connected together using threadedhand-operable fasteners 605 which may be similar to hand-operablefasteners 513 and 518 (FIGS. 27 a and 27 b), which pass through beams606 and beam stubs 607 that are permanently mounted (eg. by welding) onsome of the beams 606 at selected positions.

An advantage of the shelter 10 relative to some other forms of shelteris that it can be more resistant to damage from certain types of naturaldisaster. For example, a shelter that is fixedly mounted in some way tothe ground would be directly affected by an earthquake since themovement of the ground would be transmitted into the shelter and coulddamage the shelter or cause the collapse of the shelter, particularly ifone portion of the ground to which the shelter is connected movesdifferently than an adjacent portion of the ground to which the shelteris also connected. By contrast, the shelter 10 in accordance with someembodiments of the invention is supported on a floor 12, or on a floor12 and a frame 600, and is in both cases not necessarily anchored to theground. As a result, if the ground underneath or near the shelter 10moves or if different portions of the ground move relative to eachother, the shelter 10 is at less risk of being damaged. Put another way,the shelter 10 in some embodiments is sufficiently sturdy to beself-supporting or self-standing (unlike, for example, a tent) so thatit is resistant to being damaged by certain common after-effects of anatural disaster (eg. aftershocks after an earthquake) while also beingadvantageously portable and easily erectable by persons in anenvironment in the wake of a natural disaster. Thus it is well suited tobeing used in the wake of a natural disaster.

The adjustability of the legs 604 may be provided by any suitable means.For example, referring to FIG. 29, each leg 604 may include a leg body608 that mounts to the frame platform portion 602, by means for example,of a hand-operable fastener 609 that may be similar to the hand-operablefasteners 513 and 518 (FIGS. 27 a and 27 b), and a foot portion 610 thatheight-adjustably threads into the leg body portion 608. As a result,each leg 604 is individually height adjustable, facilitating the supportof the shelter 10 on uneven terrain.

Once the shelter 10 is no longer needed, in some embodiments the shelter10 may be disassembled and returned to its storage configuration as akit of parts 10. Disassembling the shelter 10 is facilitated by the factthat the shelter 10 does not require tools for assembly. Freedom fromrequiring tools is advantageous because any tools used in the assemblyof a shelter (eg. a prior art shelter) may be lost by the user duringuse of the shelter, which makes subsequent disassembly more difficult.Loss of tools can occur quite easily particularly when the user is in astressful situation such as having just survived a natural disaster.Therefore, a shelter, such as the shelter 10 that does not require toolsfor disassembly is advantageous.

Disassembly of the shelter 10 includes removing the roof structure cover34, and the hand-operable fasteners 72, 94 and 122. A roof panel 32 androof frame members 30 may be separated by sliding the roof frame members30 in an axial direction along the corresponding edge of the roof panel32. Similarly, a wall panel 26 and a wall frame members 24 may beseparated by sliding the wall frame members 24 in an axial directionalong the corresponding edge of the wall panel 26.

While the above description constitutes a plurality of embodiments ofthe present invention, it will be appreciated that the present inventionis susceptible to further modification and change without departing fromthe fair meaning of the accompanying claims.

1. A kit of parts for an erectable shelter, comprising: a floor; an atleast semi-rigid wall portion with an entrance; and an at leastsemi-rigid roof portion; wherein the wall portion is connectable to thefloor without tools, and wherein the roof portion is connectable to thewall structure without tools.
 2. A kit of parts as claimed in claim 1,wherein the wall portion includes: a plurality of wall frame members;and a plurality of wall panels; wherein channel structures defining wallconnection channels are provided on at least one of the group consistingof the wall frame members and the wall panels, and wherein the edgeportions of the other of the group is releasably receivable in the wallconnection channels defined by the channel structures, and wherein thefloor includes a plurality of mounting and alignment guides thereon andwherein the wall frame members are receivable in selected positions bythe mounting and alignment guides.
 3. A kit of parts as claimed in claim2, wherein the floor and the wall portion each include a plurality ofapertures which are alignable and wherein the kit of parts furthercomprises a plurality of hand-operable fasteners, which are sized topass through the apertures and connect the wall portion to the floor. 4.A kit of parts as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wall panels areconnectable to the wall frame members without tools.
 5. A kit of partsas claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall structure is removablyconnectable to the floor without tools, wherein the roof portion isremovably connectable to the wall structure without tools.
 6. A kit ofparts as claimed in claim 1, wherein the roof portion includes: aplurality of roof frame members; and a plurality of roof panels; whereinchannel structures defining roof connection channels are provided on atleast one of the group consisting of the roof frame members and the roofpanels, and wherein the edge portions of the other of the group isreleasably receivable in the roof connection channels defined by thechannel structures.
 7. A kit of parts as claimed in claim 1, wherein thechannel structure includes first and second channel side walls and achannel base wall, and wherein the first and second channel side wallsinclude a plurality of channel ribs and wherein the edge portion that isreceivable in the channel includes a plurality of edge portion ribs,which mate with the channel ribs to retain the edge portion in thechannel.
 8. A kit of parts as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channelribs have a channel rib saw tooth profile, and wherein the edge portionribs have an edge portion saw tooth profile, which is oppositelyoriented to the channel rib saw tooth profile.
 9. A kit of parts asclaimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the wall panels includes awindow.
 10. A kit of parts as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least oneof the wall panels includes a door assembly for controlling passagethrough the entrance.
 11. A kit of parts as claimed in claim 3, whereinthe hand-operable fasteners each include a threaded fastener, ahand-operable nut, and a flexible, resilient washer.
 12. A kit of partsas claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall portion includes a plurality ofwall panels, a plurality of in-line wall frame members and a pluralityof corner wall frame members, wherein the floor portion has an edge andincludes positions for receiving at least one corner wall frame memberalong
 13. A kit of parts as claimed in claim 1, wherein the roof portionincludes a plurality of roof panels and a plurality of support beams,wherein each support beam supports mutually adjacent edges of mutuallyadjacent roof panels and wherein each support beam includes a troughportion that is positioned to collect rain that falls between themutually adjacent edges of the mutually adjacent roof panels therebyinhibiting the rain from entering the shelter.
 14. A kit of parts for anerectable shelter, comprising: a floor; a support frame for supportingthe floor off the ground; an at least semi-rigid wall portion with anentrance; and an at least semi-rigid roof portion; wherein the wallportion is connectable to the floor without tools, and wherein the roofportion is connectable to the wall structure without tools.
 15. A kit ofparts as claimed in claim 14, wherein the support frame include asupport platform portion for supporting the floor, and a plurality oflegs, wherein the legs are individually height adjustable.